Hancher 2018-19 season packs star power

IOWA CITY - The bubbly will be overflowing when Kristin Chenoweth rings in 2019 at Hancher Auditorium on New Year's Eve.

Star of stage and screen, Chenoweth nabbed a Tony Award as Sally in the 1999 Broadway revival of 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and garnered a Tony nomination for waving her glittering artistic wand over the role of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in 'Wicked.”

With other star turns in television's 'Glee,” 'Hairspray Live!” 'Pushing Daisies,” 'Kristin” and 'The West Wing,” she will step into the Hancher spotlight for a black tie-optional gala Dec. 31, one of many star-powered events on Hancher's 2018-19 season.

Two other concerts will launch the holiday season with plenty of shimmer, as well, when Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 team up to sing their greatest hits on Nov. 25, followed by the Canadian Brass in concert with 'Christmas Time is Here” on Nov. 30.

The Hancher season opens September with a triple header featuring a rescheduled lecture by famed journalist Cokie Roberts on Sept. 12; a free outdoor performance Sept. 14 by the Steep Canyon Rangers, the band that helped Steve Martin and Martin Short open the new Hancher in 2016; and the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra in concert Sept. 25.

Broadway comes to Iowa City with a new production of perennial favorite 'Les Miserables” from Dec. 4 to 9, followed by the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in 'Jersey Boys” from Feb. 8 to 10.

Also in the mix are the Momix dancer/illusionists on Oct. 24, Soweto Gospel Choir on Nov. 11, the Russian National Orchestra on Feb. 23, Havana Cuba All-Stars on March 14 and the American Ballet Theatre on April 6.

And with a touch of jazz comes a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on Feb. 21 and a celebration of Elizabeth Catlett on Oct. 13. Catlett, a sculptor, printmaker and social activist, was the first African-American woman to receive an MFA from the University of Iowa, and the university's newest residence hall is named in her honor.

Hancher's 'Embracing Complexity” project, designed to build understanding of contemporary Islamic cultures and Muslim identity, enters its second year with performances and residencies featuring Kinan Azmeh's CityBand on Nov. 7, Alsarah and the Nubatones on Nov. 11, and Rahim AlHaj and string ensemble performing 'Letters from Iraq” on Feb. 16.

Season brochures and order forms will be sent shortly to Hancher donors at the $100 level and above. Tickets go on sale to the general public Aug. 1 via the Hancher Box Office, (319) 335-1160, 1-800-HANCHER or Hancher.uiowa.edu

2018-19 HANCHER SEASON

SEPTEMBER

12: Cokie Roberts, 'An Insider's View of Washington, D.C.,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

14: Steep Canyon Rangers, 7 p.m., Hancher Green

25: The Philadelphia Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

OCTOBER

5: Cirque Eloize, 'Hotel,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

11: Emerson String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

13: Rufus Reid, 'Quiet Pride: A Celebration of Elizabeth Catlett,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

18: Storm Large, 6:30 and 9 p.m., Club Hancher in Strauss Hall

24: Momix, 'Opus Cactus,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

27-28: The Cashore Marionettes, 'Simple Gifts,” 1 and 3 p.m., Strauss Hall

NOVEMBER

2: L.A. Theatre Works, 'Steel Magnolias,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

7: Kinan Azmeh's CityBand, 6:30 and 9 p.m., Club Hancher in Strauss Hall

11: Soweto Gospel Choir, 4 p.m., Auditorium

17: Alsarah and the Nubatones, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

25: The Summit: The Manhattan Transfer Meets Take 6, 5 p.m., Auditorium

30: The Canadian Brass, 'Christmas Time is Here,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

DECEMBER

4-9: 'Les Miserables,” various times, Auditorium

31: Kristin Chenoweth, 'A New Year's Eve Gala,” 9:30 p.m., Auditorium

JANUARY

24: Tre Voci, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

FEBRUARY

2: Banda Magda, 6:30 and 9 p.m., Club Hancher in Strauss Hall

8-10: 'Jersey Boys,” various times, Auditorium

16: Rahim AlHaj and string ensemble, 'Letters from Iraq,” 7:30 p.m. Auditorium

21: 'We Shall Overcome - A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

23: Russian National Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

MARCH

2: Danu, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

8: Lawrence Brownlee and Eric Owens, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

10: Theatre Lovett, 'They Called Her Vivaldi,” 2 p.m., Auditorium

14: Havana Cuba All-Stars, 'Asere! A Fiesta Cubana,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

30: Kaia Kater, 6:30 and 9 p.m., Club Hancher in Strauss Hall

31: Brentano String Quartet, 3 p.m., Auditorium

APRIL

6: American Ballet Theatre, 'Whipped Cream,” 1 and 6:30 p.m., Auditorium

12: Batsheva Dance Company, 'Venezuela,” 7:30 p.m., Auditorium

MAY

1-3: Slingsby, 'The Young King,” TBD, Strauss Hall

TICKETS

On sale to the public Aug. 1, Hancher Box Office, (319) 335-1160 or 1-800-HANCHER or Hancher.uiowa.edu